David Whiteley’s Star Wars documentary previewed on Inside Out in the eastern region last Friday ahead of its network premiere on BBC4 this week.

Star Wars super-fan David Whiteley gave fellow devotees in the east ‘an extended preview’ of his stellar documentary which celebrates the unsung British heroes behind the original 1977 film on Friday December 15 on BBC1 at 7.30pm.

The Galaxy Britain Built featured on Friday’s Inside Out programme ahead of the full progamme which will air this Thusday 21 December at 10pm on BBC4 – the preview was only available to viewers in the BBC East region before the full show appears on network BBC this week.

David and Matthew Wildash, who both work for BBC East, have created an hour-long show which lifts the lid on a host of Star Wars secrets and features previously unheard stories from the people who made one of the most successful movies of all time.

Through painstaking research, David tracked down the British talent who brought a magical galaxy to life and reveals fascinating secrets of the creation of some of the most famous costumes, props and sets in movie history. Just what was the original lightsaber made from?

In the documentary David discovers how the blockbuster was a very British endeavour and how it continues to be in the present day – Episode VIII, The Last Jedi, which launched on Friday, was set in a host of locations which include Pinewood Studios near London (and the Irish Tourism Board will be rejoicing: many of the outdoor scenes were shot on the rugged Irish coast while others were shot in County Clare, County Cork and Donegal).

He also travels across the world, from St Maarten in the Caribbean to LA to meet the creatives who were the driving Force, ahem, behind the original film and viewers will see archive film and some early drawings of Star Wars characters which have never been seen before.

• COMING SOON: a full interview with David about The Galaxy Britain Built (and his novelty Chewbacca purse).